Streets/Chapter 1
Clumsy footsteps made their way down the empty street. Streetlamps doused the snow-cloaked pavements in an amber haze as snowflakes waltzed in the wind to the incessant sound of chatter from the bars and the wail of a car alarm somewhere in the distance. Cars perched themselves on the edges of the pavements, topped with hats of settling snow, and the wind whispered secrets as the dying leaves listened intently. Ryder Cressley made his way down the streets, numb fingers buried in his pockets, looking rather disheveled after a night out on the lash. His uncoordinated steps trampled the fresh blanket, creating crooked, weaving trails, and he latched onto streetlamps for support every time he his dragging feet tripping him. Ahead of him, neon colours pulsated frantically in a kaleidoscope pattern. Figures with animal heads and engorged limbs leaped into his sight, and the moon cast him a Cheshire cat smile when he glanced up at it, a dopey grin on his face. He swiveled round, seeing the yowl of a startled cat, and tasted the aroma of the world, which currently resided at his fingertips. He floated down the road, walking on air, wearing a coat of snow and a marshmallow tie. A melody he did not recognise played on repeat in the back of his mind, the lyrics slurred together in one endless hum yet each word clear and crisp. Ryder knew once he came down that the lyrics would instantly disappear from his memory, so he enjoyed them whilst he was up up up. He floated further down the street until he reached the melting door of his crumbling apartment, and after a swift rummage through the shallow pocket of his jacket, the keys kissed the air, and shook as they penetrated the lock and pirouetted, allowing the door to open and reveal the innards of the apartment to the rest of the world. After a brief embrace with the doorframe, Ryder stumbled into his home, the sickly smell of lavender attacking his hyper-sensitive nose and briefly knocking him sideways. In front of him, snakes hugged the worn leather sofa, and purple flames licked the naked walls. The television crackled as static played, the sharp black and white image burning into his eyes and making his head scream in protest. Immediately he dived for the remote which rested on the coffee table, and swiftly turned off the device, cloaking the room in shadows. Moonlight streamed in through the open blinds and bathed a portion of the room in metallic silver. Ryder shrugged out of his jacket and carelessly tossed it aside, before making his way into the dusky kitchen. His hand caressed the wall as he searched for the light switch, eventually locating it and flicking the switch. Then he almost jumped out of his skin. “Ali,” he stuttered as he recognised the girl with the candyfloss hair and the blood red lips standing in the centre of his kitchen, her hands on her petite hips, her head tilted. “What are you doing here?” “What in God’s name are you tripping on tonight?” she inquired in her melodic voice which made Ryder melt, and swiftly walked up to him, examining his eyes. “I can barely see your irises. What is it? Weed?” “Erm... LSD,” he replied as Ali’s hair cascaded down her shoulders in a pink waterfall which rippled and swirled with every move. She frowned, which Ryder hated as it broke the smoothness of her face, and tutted disapprovingly. “You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here.” “You left your phone in the pub last night,” she explained, gesturing towards a mobile with a shattered screen and a missing 5 key resting on the otherwise dining room table. “You also left your flat unlocked, you idiot. Do you just not give a shit about getting robbed?” “Nothing in here worth nicking,” Ryder shrugged, and ran a hand through his dripping wet hair, the quiff he usually sported destroyed by the snow.